Church organ at St Peter’s to undergo needed refurbishment

While the main reason for the organ being disassembled is to allow a window behind it to be replaced, the opportunity has been taken to have it stripped down, serviced and rebuilt.

Rector the Rev. Adrian Datta said that the work will be carried out by organ specialist Andrew Stevens.

This is the second organ to receive an overhaul this year, with Andrew Cooper and Co having also visited to attend to the instrument at the Forest Church.

St Peter’s has what Mr Datta calls a ‘really lovely country organ’, made by Norman and Beard Ltd in 1906.

‘These things need to be serviced every 40 or 50 years and so we’ve got a good firm coming from England to repair it so it will live for another 40 to 50 years,’ he said.

The work will also see a new ‘trumpet stop’ added, which Mr Datta said would provide more variety of sound.

The last time a new stop was added was in 2015, in memory of church member Elizabeth Pipet.

While used in many services, Mr Datta said it was particularly good to hear the organ at the church’s monthly choral evensong events, which take place every third Sunday at 6pm and feature the church choir, which is led by organist James Henderson.

‘Part of the value of the evensong with the choir is that it echoes what happens in Salisbury Cathedral,’ he said, which was particularly relevant given the island’s new connection with the diocese.

But it would be good to see more people in the congregation for these occasions, he said, which were followed by drinks served in the church.